A Soldier's Memories - ON HOLD
by Tempestas D. Uzu
Summary: "Oh, Master," Death purred, a small smirk growing on her regal face, "I'm doing you a favor." / In which Death decides to take things into its own hands; its Master's comrades needed to know what they were up against when it came to the Wizarding World. So it chooses the best and fastest way to do so; its Master's memories. [Skull-is-Harry] Part 7 of the Soldier Series
1. First Memory

**First Memory, age 1**

"_You know, through pain, you learn a lot about yourself-things you thought you never knew you wanted to learn. And it's kind of like those animals that regrow a part of their body-like a starfish. You might not feel it. You might not even want to grow, but you will. You'll grow that part that broke off, and that growing, that blooming-cannot happen without the pain."_

_-Kelle Hampton, _Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected-A Memoir

* * *

Skull's eyes opened slowly, muddled violet orbs staring at the white void he found himself in.

This wasn't his bedroom...

When that fact sunk in, Skull bolted into a sitting position, head whipping around in an attempt to absorb any information he could on the strange place he found himself in. Last time he had checked, he had been in his bedroom, recovering from the period of time he had been tortured by the British wizards.

His eyes landed on the prone figures of his fellow Arcobaleno, minus Yuni, scattered around him.

"Death," The Cloud Arcobaleno barked, causing the others to stir, but he didn't pay attention to them, his eyes were on the young woman who had materialized beside him.

With her pale skin, regal face, and long black hair, she could be considered beautiful, if it weren't for her completely black eyes and the aura of death that surrounded her. "Master," She greeted stoicly.

Sharp violet eyes bore into the spirit of Death, "What did you do."

"Oh, Master," Death purred, a small smirk growing on her regal face, "I'm doing you a _favor._"

"What do you mean?" Skull asked, and Death 'tsk'ed.

"I cannot tell you that, Master. It would take away all the fun." She told him, "Your friends awaken. Enjoy yourself." With that, Death vanished in a flurry of shadows, leaving Skull to curse her out in the many languages he knew.

By the time he had reached Hungarian, the others had become completely lucid.

"_Kibaszott szar! A fenébe Halál! [Hungarian: Fucking shit! Damn it, Death!]_" Skull was screaming, stomping around the empty void they were in while the others watched in bemusement. "_Ha nem voltál a megszemélyesítés maga a halál, én megöllek! [Hungarian: If you weren't the personification of death itself, I'd kill you!]_" A wordless scream of rage erupted from his mouth and he switched to German, because Hungarian just wasn't angry enough to display his fury. "_Scheiße! Was zum Teufel hast du damit gemeint?! [German: Fuck! What the Hell did you mean by that?!]_" He waved a fist at what he thought was the ceiling, "_"Ich weiß das du über mich lachst, verdammt!" [German: I know you are laughing at me, damnit!]_"

Fon cleared his throat, and Skull spun around to look at them, face flushing in embarrassment.

"Sorry, about that..." The Cloud muttered.

Colonello coughed awkwardly, "So... Any ideas where we are- kora?"

As if the magic word had been spoken, the whiteness that surrounded them seemed to dissolve, and in it's place, a calm family living room took it's place.

Skull immediately paled as a baby's delighted giggle broke the silence.

**A young man with messy black hair was laying on the couch, wand waving around to make complex cloud shapes and the baby seated on his chest giggled brightly, pudgy hands reaching for the floating clouds.**

**"James,"**

**The man, James, lifted his head, turning towards them, a grin on his face and bi-speckled hazel eyes sparkling.**

**"Lily-flower!"**

**A beautiful young woman with crimson hair and emerald green eyes entered the room, a smile on her face.**

"This is private..." Skull muttered shakily, violet eyes wide and glassy, as if he was about to cry.

"Do you know these people, Skull?" Lal asked, glancing between the two people, and the violet-haired stuntman.

"… They're my parents..." Skull said uneasily; he knew this scene... It had been from another's perspective, but he had seen this memory before.

**Lily laughed slightly as she lifted the giggling baby from her husband's chest, cradling the messy-haired infant to her chest.**

**Bright green eyes, the same shade as his mother's, peered over her shoulder and seemed to pierce into the Arcobaleno .**

**"C'mon, Harry," Lily cooed, "Bedtime for my baby boy."**

**James grinned, tossing his wand onto the couch to get up. He ambled over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling into his son's downy-soft baby curls.**

**The baby laughed brightly.**

"You were so happy," Fon said quietly, shifting closer to his lover, whom he could see was on the verge of tears, and placing a steadying hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Skull nodded his head silently, unable to tear his eyes from the happy family in front of him.

**Lily pecked her husband on the lips before pulling away from his arms and making her way towards the stairs.**

Colonello's sniper-trained eyes were the only thing that allowed him to catch sight of a dark-robed figure out the window, making its way up to the front door.

**The house shook around them, and both Lily and James paled.**

**"Lily," James cried, hazel eyes turning from the quivering door to his red-haired wife and son, "take Harry and go! It's him!"**

**Lily hesitated, green eyes watery, and James gripped her upper-arms in frantic hands.**

**"Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"**

None of the Arcobaleno dared interrupt, but the solemn atmosphere spoke the words they didn't say as they watched the emotions run through Lily's eyes.

**Lily hesitated for only a moment, before turning and fleeing up the stairs, her son held tightly in her grasp.**

**James spun around, and the door was blown off its hinges.**

**Standing in the doorway, was a middle-aged man; handsome, but dangerous. His wavy black hair fell around an aristocratic and cruel face, and glowing red eyes peered at James in sadistic delight.**

**James snarled defensively, positioning** **himself in front of the stairs, and Voldemort laughed.**

**"**_**Avada Kedavra!" **_**The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glow like lighting rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut. [Line written by J.K. Rowling, I take no credit** **for it].**

A low, distressed whine left Skull's throat as he watched his father's body fall, and Fon pulled his younger lover against his side, wrapping him securely in his strong arms.

And then it dissolved, recreating itself in the form of a nursery, Lily Potter was crouched in front of her son's crib, speaking urgently to the infant.

**Footsteps made their way up the stairs, torturously slowly.**

**"Harry... Harry, you're so loved... So, so loved..." Lily's voice cracked as she whispered to her infant son. "Harry, mama loves you, dada loves you..." A single tear dripped down the baby's cheek as his mother spoke. "Harry, be safe. Be strong."**

**The solemn atmosphere was broken when the door to the nursery was blown open, sending the boxes and chair Lily had barricaded the door with crash into the soft blue walls, and Voldemort swept into the nursery.**

**Lily turned, throwing her arms wide to shield her small son from the dark figure in the doorway.**

**"Not Harry!" Lily cried, "Not Harry, please! Not Harry!"**

**"Stand aside, you silly girl!" Voldemort** **hissed, "Stand aside, now!"**

**"Not Harry! Please no! Take me! Kill me instead!" The red-haired woman begged, refusing to move from her position in front of Harry.**

**"This is my last warning."**

**"Not Harry, please! Have mercy! Have mercy! Not Harry!" Lily sobbed frantically, "Not Harry, please! I'll do anything! Not my baby!"**

**"Stand aside," Voldemort ordered, leveling** **his wand at the young woman's chest. "Stand aside, girl!"**

**Lily still did not move, her chin set stubbornly, and tears streamed down her pale face.**

**"**_**Avada Kedavra!**_**" Green light flashed across the room, illuminating the tear-stained face of Lily Potter, her mouth open in a scream, and she crumpled to the ground.**

A sob broke through Skull's tight control, his mother's begging hitting deep, her death even deeper. "This is _private_." The youngest Arcobaleno insisted, eyes locked solely on his mother's dead body.

**The child was standing, clutching at the bars of his crib, and big green eyes were locked on his mother's prone form. He wasn't crying; he was much too young to know what death meant.**

**Voldemort turned his wand to the defenseless babe.**

A snarl reverberated through all the Arcobaleno, and Fon tightened his hold on the purple-haired young man at his side.

**The small child looked up at the intruder's face, expression open with childlike curiosity. **

**The wand was pointed at the infant's innocent face, and he began to cry, frightened by the man in front of him.**

**"**_**Avada Kedavra!**_**"**

**The green curse swept towards the baby, almost in slow motion, and the moment before it struck the young Harry, green Lightning Flames erupted** **to life in front of the child, Lily Potter's Dying Wish to protect her son causing her Dying Will Flames to activate and shield her baby from what would have been his death.**

**The Killing Curse rebound, sending it back to the caster, and the memory faded to black. The sound of the chilling cries of an orphaned baby boy ringing in their ears.**

"They didn't even have their wands." Viper hummed, hidden eyes moving to their hysterical comrade, who was sobbing into Fon's chest. "They were defenseless."

Fon shot a warning look at the hooded Mist-user, running his hand through Skull's violet curls in an attempt to calm him, and before he could say anything, the next memory began.

**The first thing they took note of, was that it was nearly pitch black, the only source of light coming from the motorcycle parked in the middle of the road.**

**"-I've got him, sir" The giant of a man was saying.**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

**The old man and middle-aged woman bent over the bundle of blankets in the giant's arms.**

**"Is that where-?" Whispered the woman,**

**"Yes," The old man said, nodding gravely. "He'll have that scar forever."**

Finally calmed enough, Skull absentmindedly rubbed at the spot where his faded lightning-bolt scar was located.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"That's Dumbledore?" Reborn said, dark eyes on the purple-robed man with the long silver hair, definitely not what he expected; a colour-blind old man.

Skull nodded.

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

"He sounds like he's taking out trash or something." Colonello muttered mutinously as Dumbledore took the baby from Hagrid's arms and turned towards the house numbered 4.

**Hagrid's voice stopped Dumbledore in his tracks, "Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" He bent over the small baby in Dumbledore's arms and place a kiss on the boy's brow. Then, suddenly, he let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" The woman hissed, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**Hagrid sobbed an apology, burying his face in a dirty handkerchief he had pulled from his pocket. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

"Despite his blind loyalty to Dumbledore, Hagrid had a good heart." Skull said quietly ashe watched the scene.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found." The woman whispered, patting the large man on the arm.**

**Dumbledore swept up the stone path of Number 4 and towards the front door. He laid Harry on the doorstep and tucked a letter into the baby's blanket.**

**"Well," Dumbledore said, turning and striding away from the half-asleep child on the doorstep, who wore nothing but his pajamas and a light blanket. "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"That's that?!" Fon echoed incrediously, tightening his hold on his lover. "They left a baby on the doorstep with nothing but blanket keeping him warm and a letter, then leaves?"

Skull blushed slightly,

"What the hell is wrong with these people!" Lal cried furiously,

"The wizarding population of Britain are not known for their intelligence." Verde said, adjusting his glasses.

"You can say that again." Reborn snorted crossly.

**"Yeah," Hagrid agreed in a muffled voice. "I'd best get this bike away. G'night Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." The large man swung himself onto the motorbike and kicked the engine to life, and the bike rose into the air and off into the night.**

**Then Dumbledore turned to McGonagall, an odd look twisting his face. "I cannot have you risking my plans." He informed the confused woman,**

**"Albus, what-"**

**"**_**Obliviate**_**." Professor McGonagall's eyes glazed over, and Dumbledore spoke again, "I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall."**

**The woman nodded jerkily and strode off down the street uneasily. Dumbledore watched her go, an unreadable expression on his face, and the memory dissolved.**

* * *

_"You_ _can never be really happy if you keep holding to those bad memories which makes you sad."_

_-Anurag Prakash Ray_

* * *

**_Well, there you have it. The first chapter; the idea was so popular that I just had to write it. I hope you like it, it's kind of a new style for me, so I don't really know if I did it well enough... I'm pretty proud of the cover though! I worked hard on it (the art doesn't belong to me though).  
_**

**_Anything you recognize from Harry Potter does not belong to me, so I really hope no one reports me for copying..._**

**_Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!_**

**_~TDU_**

**_Update: Thank you, Allykrau, for correcting my German. I used google translate, as the only languages I speak are English and French._**


	2. Second Memory

**Second Memory, age 3**

_"The human race tends to remember the abuses to which it has been subjected rather than the endearments. What's left of kisses? Wounds, however, leave scars."_

_-Bertolt Brecht_

* * *

To say the Arcobaleno were not pleased with what they had just seen was an understatement. Skull watched as his comrades very nearly spat fire as they hissed curses in their native languages at Dumbledore (he could almost imagine them as angry nesting mother dragons - and he knew what angry mama dragons looked like)

The white void around them dissolved to form an obsessively clean house and a small boy.

**A young boy with wild black hair and the brightest green eyes they had ever seen was kneeling on the ground, a pale of soapy water beside him as he scrubbed furiously at the already clean floor.**

"Is that-?"

Skull nodded, interrupting Lal's question, his violet eyes distant. He remembered this; it had been the first time his uncle had hit him.

"How old were you?" Colonello asked, eyes locked on the tiny boy in the memory.

Skull shifted, "Three."

"You were cleaning the floor at three?" The blond asked incredulously.

The Cloud Arcobaleno shrugged.

**Pounding footsteps signaled the arrival of a larger child, as round as he was tall with dirty blond hair and watery blue eyes that seemed to be shining with malicious intent when they landed on the tiny child on the floor.**

**With a laugh, the fat child kicked the bucket over, and Harry flinched away as the bucket crashed to the floor, spilling soapy water over the oak paneling and soaking through the smaller boy's ratty, too-big clothing.**

**"Da-ad! The Freak made a mess!" The fat child cried, before darting away laughing.**

"_Freak_?" Fon echoed in a hiss, fists clenching at his side.

Skull shifted awkwardly, glancing around for an escape. If this angered them, he wasn't really looking forward to seeing what happened next.

**Harry flinched backwards, green eyes wide with fear as a large man with a ruddy face and large mustache rounded the corner.**

**The man snarled, eyes on the small boy, the overturned bucket, and the soaked floor. "You worthless Freak!"**

**The child cowered backwards, "I-I d-didn't -"**

**"SHUT UP!"**

_**CRACK!**_

The Arcobaleno went silent, eyes smoldering with rage as they watched the fat man's large hand connect to the tiny child's face.

Skull flinched at the noise of his younger self's head connecting with the hard floor.

**Harry hit the floor with a cry of pain, clutching at his head and curling into a ball. His uncle loomed over him, sick delight shining in his eyes. He reared back and kicked the small boy in the ribs, sending Harry rolling across the wet floor like a ragdoll.**

**"You useless little Freak!" Vernon picked the sobbing child up by the collar of his shirt and shook him violently. "It would have been better for everyone if you had died with your worthless parents!"**

**With that, Vernon marched to the cupboard under the stairs and carelessly tossed the crying boy inside, ignoring the small pained noise Harry made, and locked the door.**

**The scene dissolved.**

Skull twitched when the eyes of all of the other Arcobaleno turned to him.

"You were three." Reborn stated, dark eyes all but glowing with his fury. "I killed those bastards way too quickly."

Skull sweatdropped; so Reborn _was_ behind the mysterious deaths of his relatives, he had been wondering.

A hand was placed on his arm, and Skull turned to look at Fon. There was understanding in his eyes... _why would there be understanding in his eyes_\- unless... _the same thing happened to him._

Fon nodded, "I was five years old when my _Māma [Chinese: mom]_ and_ Bàba [Chinese: dad]_ were killed during a mugging. The orphanages were not kind, and there was barely enough food to go around on a good day. My_ Gēgē [Chinese: elder brother]_, Kiyoshi, lived with his father - my mother's first husband, Hibari Kaemon - in Namimori. Neither wanted anything to do with me, and I was conceived out of wedlock, so none wished to adopt me." The Storm shrugged gracefully, "It was not until I turned nine that _Sifu [Chinese: Master]_ Bingwen took me in."

Skull blinked, "Hibari?" He echoed,

A small, amused smile lifted Fon's lips. "You thought that it was simply coincidence that Kyoya and I look so much alike?"

"… Kinda..."

Fon chuckled, "I am Kyoya's uncle, granduncle to be exact. However, because I am physically in my early twenties, and Kyoya is nineteen, it is much easier to say I am his uncle."

**The scene shifted; Harry was standing outside a school labeled Surrey Elementary, green eyes wide and a faded bruise on his cheek, he was favoring his left leg, and still wearing the too-large hand-me-downs from his cousin.**

"Weren't you a little too young to be starting school?" Viper asked absentmindedly.

"Aunt Petunia didn't want me around the house, and Dudley was starting Primary so I was packed along with him, even though I was a good year or so younger." Skull explained with a shrugged. "It got me out of the house, and the library was my haven, I guess you could say."

**The bell rang and Harry melted into the crowd of children making their way inside.**

**The scene shifted once more, and in it's place was a colorful classroom. Harry was easy to pick out from the crowd of children, as he was the smallest in the class.**

**The teacher was calling out roll, and when she reached a certain name, her only reply was silence.**

**"Harry Potter."**

**Harry didn't look up from his desk, scribbling absentmindedly with a green crayon.**

**"Harry Potter."**

**The students were getting restless, looking around for their quiet classmate.**

**The teacher frowned, eyes landing on the messy-haired boy who was ducked over a piece of paper with a nub of green crayon in his hand, she wove through the students until she was standing in front of the quiet boy.**

**"Harry," Harry blinked in confusion, glancing up at the young woman standing in front of him, who smiled at him, "Still sleepy, hun?" She asked gently, "We have naptime later, so you'll need to pay attention."**

"You didn't know that Harry Potter was your name," Verde noted, adjusting his glasses threatening, a scowl on his face.

Skull blushed and fiddled with the baggy jumper he was wearing.

**The picture changed once more; they were outside on the school playground, surrounded by screaming children as they dashed around playing. Harry stood off to the side, clutching a book to his chest.**

"_One Piece_?" Colonello read the title, then glanced at Skull. "Isn't that a little advanced for a three year old?"

"It was good!" Skull defended himself,

The blond sniper held up his hands, "I wasn't saying it wasn't."

**"Oy! Freak!"**

**Harry jumped slightly, head swiveling around to where Dudley was marching towards him. With a little noise of alarm, the small boy turned and fled, dodging around bodies of other children and making his way over to his teacher.**

**He latched on to her leg, and the teacher looked down at him in surprise.**

**"Harry?" Fearful green eyes glanced over to where Dudley was walking towards him, and understanding bloomed in the teacher's eyes. "Come with me."**

**The scene reconstructed itself, and it must have been a few days later considering the new and faded bruises littering Harry's body.**

**"Do you not have any lunch, Harry?"**

**The little boy glanced up to the young woman in front of him, "No, Miss Stacey."**

**The teacher, Miss Stacey, frowned slightly. "And you had no lunch yesterday."**

**"No, Miss Stacey."**

**Miss Stacey's eyebrows furrowed, studied the small boy's bruised face, the thinness where there should have been baby fat, and horror sparked in her brown eyes. "Harry, sweetheart, can you come with me to the Headmistress' office?"**

**Looking slightly confused, Harry nodded and slid out of his seat, following his teacher out of the room.**

**The memory changed.**

"She reported to the Headmistress what she suspected." Skull spoke up, "But the Dursleys had already told her that I was a chronic liar, that I was a clumsy delinquent who was always falling over or picking on other kids." His eyebrows furrowed, "I'm not completely sure what happened to Miss Stacey afterwards, but she moved away in the middle of the year and I never saw her again." He fiddled with the violet sleeve of his jumper, "But, considering what I know now, I suspect Dumbledore may have had something to do with it."

"From what we've seen of him," said Fon. "I can believe that."

**Vernon loomed over his quivering nephew, face purple with rage as he clutched a report card in his fist.**

**"You ungrateful little freak!" The man thundered, "You think you can just show up our Dudley and get away with it, do you?!"**

**Harry shrunk back,**

**"'Mr. Potter is extremely intelligent for his age,'" Vernon read off the paper, a sneer curling his already ugly features. "'he is the smartest boy I have ever had the pleasure to teach. He is already doing work for children twice his age. I propose bumping him up a grade-' bah!" The man tore the report card to shreds.**

Skull blushed when the others looked at him, "I liked to read..."

**Harry flinched, and Vernon threw the boy to the ground. "Intelligent my ass!" His uncle snarled, "You're just a dumb little shit who's place is beneath us hard-working _normal_ folk. You're nothing but a stupid Freak, and that's all you'll ever be!"**

**Harry sniffled, mumbling something unintelligibly.**

**"What was that?"**

**"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry repeated dully.**

**"What are you, boy?"**

**"A stupid Freak, Uncle Vernon."**

**"And where do stupid Freaks belong?"**

**"Beneath normal hard-working people, Uncle Vernon."**

**A smirk grew on Vernon's face, "And what will stupid Freaks never be?"**

**Harry shrunk in on himself, eyes flat and expression empty, "Loved, Uncle Vernon."**

Skull flinched, hugging himself as he shivered.

"He's lucky he's already dead." Viper stated nonchalantly, slinking away from the anger radiating off the other Arcobaleno.

"Bastard!" Colonello snarled,

"_Cazzo strutto vasca! [Italian: Fucking lard tub!]_" Reborn cursed, "I killed that bastard too quickly! I should have made him suffer!"

"If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him myself." Lal hissed,

Verde adjusted his glasses, "I do believe you would have to get in line."

Fon, on the other hand, instead of expressing his anger, pulled Skull into a tight hug, "Skull, what that _barbarian_ told you is not true, you are loved. _Wǒ de qíngài de_, Skull." Then, as if to prove his point, Fon cups Skull's face and kissed him so deeply that Skull thought his heart would leap out of his chest, then he wrapped his arms around Fon's neck and pulled him closer.

They were brought back to reality by Colonello's cough, and they pulled away, "Thank you for putting on such a show, Lovebirds." The sniper said dryly, and despite the light blush on his face, Fon looked quite smug. Skull's face was bright red and he made a noise similar to a trodden on mouse.

"The memory's still on," Viper interrupted,

**"Exactly," Vernon snarled, "You will never be loved, you don't deserve it. You don't deserve a family. You are nothing but a dumb Freak. You should have died with your worthless parents."**

**Harry sniffled, knotting his hands in his too-big shirt. "Yes, Uncle Vernon..."**

**"Now get out my sight!"**

**The memory ended with Harry scurrying away, silent tears dripping down his bruised face.**

**The next memory started with the small boy standing at the sink, washing dishes as his aunt went about her business behind him.**

**"Aunt 'tunia?" Harry asked quietly, catching his sour aunt's attention,**

**"What?" She demanded sharply, and Harry flinched.**

**"W-what happened to my mum and dad?"**

**Petunia froze, hand hovering over the utensils of the table, and her face twisted as if she had eaten a lemon. "Your mother was an uneducated whore, and your father a jobless drunk. They died in a car accident, how do you think you got that horrible scar? Their uselessness rubbed off on you, it seems!" Petunia snapped, "Now get back to work and don't ask questions!"**

Skull smiled bitterly, "The first rule to living a peaceful life with the Dursleys; don't ask questions."

**Harry ducked his head, "Yes, Aunt 'tunia..."**

**The memory dissolved.**

* * *

_"Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul."_

_-Dave Pelzer_, A Child Called "It"

* * *

_**Here you go! The next chapter! And there's MagicStorm in it!  
**_

_**So, the only languages I speak are English and French, so I'm sorry if anything is incorrect, I translated using Google.. -.-"**_

_**Hope you enjoyed, and oh look- no flamethrowers yet! Haha,**_

_**~TDU**_

_**Update: Working to fix up my Chinglish; thanks to Cynthia of the Wallflowers for the help!**_


	3. Third Memory

_**Third Memory, age 6-7**_

_"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."_

_-C.G. Jung_

* * *

"_That's_ what you were told about your parents?" Lal demanded as the memory dissolved,

"Yeah," Skull muttered, "I didn't even know their names until I was eleven. And even then the only thing I learned about them was that I looked just like my father but with my mother's eyes, and that Voldemort killed them." Skull was scowling, arms crossed over his chest, "'course one of my Professors always compared me to my father, 'an incompetent, arrogant boy,'" The violet haired young man mocked in a rather oily voice, "'Fame getting to his head, thinking he's better than everyone else.' _Che_\- Snape was a jackass, even if he did mean well in the end."

**The next memory started with a small six year old child, tiny and thin enough to pass as a four year old.**

**Harry was hiding, perched in a tree, his green eyes glittering in the fading sunlight filtering through the branches. He ducked under a rock that had been moments away from nailing him in the forehead.**

**"Come on down, Freak!" Dudley shouted, gripping another rock in his hands, a grin on his face. "We're playing Harry Hunting! Don't make me tell Daddy on you!" Harry ducked under the second stone.**

"Little beast." Fon grumbled under his breath, and Skull snorted in amusement.

**But he never saw the third rock that was thrown directly after the one before it.**

**With a sickening sound of solid rock meeting the soft flesh of Harry's** **forehead, the little boy flailed momentarily to try to keep his balance, but his feet slipped from under him.**

**Harry teetered in slow motion, before plummeting towards the ground that lay four meters below him.**

**Wide, frightened green eyes squeezed shut, and the moment before he hit the ground, a familiar violet Flame sprung to life on his forehead.**

"You activated your Flames at six?" Verde asked in surprise.

Skull's brows furrowed in confusion. "I-I don't remember this..."

**The explosion of Cloud Flames that followed slowed the boy enough that he was only winded when he hit the ground.**

**Dudley and his gang, on the other hand, had been blown backwards.**

**Harry sat up, violet eyes -**

"Like Tsuna." Reborn said suddenly, "You activated your Dying Will, much like Tsuna does..." The hitman looked at his younger comrade, "You might be distantly related." He mused, an almost teasing smirk on his face.

Skull spluttered

**\- sharp and weary as he glanced around, before locking onto a spot a few meters from him.**

_**Crack!**_

**With** **a noise similar to a back-firing car, a familiar old man with long silver hair** **and blinding robes appeared, wand** **in hand, and blue eyes sweeping across the clearing.**

**When Dumbledore's** **eyes landed on Harry, he cursed and lifted his wand.**

**"This is for the Greater Good, my boy." The old man said gravely,** **"I cannot have you using** **such a thing as** **Soul Fire... **_**Obliviate.**_**"**

**The memory faded, growing fuzzy, before it shattered.**

"That would explain it." Skull stated dryly, violet eyes narrowed in a glare as the memory particles reformed around them into the front yard of Number 4, Privet Drive.

"What did he mean, that he couldn't have you using 'Soul Flames' -kora?" Colonello asked, brows furrowed.

Skull shrugged, "I can't really say, Dumbledore was always hard to read, and always kept his secrets and thoughts to himself. He lived by the code of 'keep your enemies close, and keep your pawns closer.'" He frown slightly, crossing his arms over his chest, "What I do know is that he needed me weak and malleable, ready to die for _the Greater Good_."

The other Arcobaleno shared a glance.

**Harry was weeding the front garden as Dudley as his friends ran around, laughing and playing, plastic party hats on their heads.**

**"Oy! Freak!"**

**Harry looked up from the plants as Dudley smirked, shoveling** **cake in his mouth, and at the sight of the food, the young dark-haired boy's stomach growled.**

**Dudley smirked, "Are you hungry, Freak?" The large boy taunted.**

Reborn's eyes narrowed; he took in Harry's hollow cheeks and the too-small frame, which should still have been chubby with baby fat. He had seen the same look Reborn had seen on many children during his own childhood growing on the streets of Venice; Hell, Reborn himself had gone through the same thing before getting himself involved in the gangs that had roamed the street (a desperate attempted to keep himself alive).

The child was starving, and his fat lard of a cousin was taunting him with the very substance that the younger version of their Cloud guardian needed to survive.

The hitman fingered his empty holster, wishing he had his gun so he could shoot something.

**At the hungry look on the younger boy's face, the fat blond laughed in delight. "Too bad!" The child crowed, "Daddy and Mummy said Freaks don't deserve food!"**

**Harry scowled silently and looked back down to the plants. But it would seem that Dudley did not enjoy being ignored, because his fat face twisted with anger and his foot lashed out, connecting solidly with the smaller boy's back and sending him face-first into the mud.**

**Dudley laughed.**

**Harry wiped the mess from his face, expression contorting with fury and green eyes narrowed, his furious glare landing on his laughing cousin.**

**The cake in the large blond boy's hands exploded, splattering the remains across Dudley's stunned face.**

Skull winced; he remembered what happened next, this memory was what happened to cause his uncle to decide to up his 'punishments', it was after the exploding cake that Vernon had started whipping him. The mere thought of it made the scars lining his back to tingle.

**Harry's narrowed eyes were the last thing they saw before the memory faded.**

**The sky was dark in the next memory, the moon full. The lights of Number 4 Privet Drive let off a cheerful glow, making the snow outside sparkle,** **and they could hear laughter coming from inside.**

**The peaceful atmosphere was broken by the back door flying open, and a tiny dark-haired boy bolting from the house, a growling dog hot on his heels. **

**Harry's frantic path veered towards the tree in the back corner of the yard, and scrambled up the rough bark, frantically trying to get away from the vicious mutt biting at his ankles.**

**The woman who was laughing in the doorway shared a startling resemblance to Vernon Dursley; ****large, beefy, purple-faced, and even had** **a mustache, though not as bushy as his.**

A look of disgust crossed all the Arcobaleno's faces.

"Aunt Marge." Skull stated, "She was Vernon's sister."

"That's a _woman _-kora?!" Colonello choked, eyes wide. "Oh god - brain bleach! Get me brain bleach!" The sniper wailed, covering his eyes with his hands.

Lal tsked and slapped her fiance over the head.

**"Get'em Ripper!" The woman cheered drunkenly.**

**Harry, perched in the tree in nothing but too-large trousers and a ratty t-shirt, shivered as the dog continued to growl and bark at him, all but foaming at the mouth.**

"Oh yeah..." Skull muttered, "This was the year I actually got a Christmas present..." At the odd looks he got from the other Arcobaleno, the violet-haired stuntman shrugged. "She gave me dog biscuits. Apparently I wasn't thankful enough."

**After a few minutes, Marge seemed to grow board, as she stumbled back into the house, hollering for more wine, her dog a few steps behind her, and she slammed the door.**

**The memory faded.**

"How long were you up in that tree?" Fon asked, glancing to his partner. Skull bit his lip as he looked around the vast whiteness that surrounded them.

"A few hours until Petunia unlocked the door and let me back in." He said quietly.

**The next memory swirled to life, giving the watchers a view of a happy family at Christmas time. They were sitting around the tree, laughing and talking as they handed out presents, most of which went to Dudley, who was stuffing his face with Christmas pudding.**

**Harry stood off to the side, a platter of food held in his hands as he stared longingly between the presents and the food.**

Viper's hands shook under his cloak, pale-knuckled fists clenched tightly around the wand he had unconsciously palmed in his anger.

**Marge glanced at the unhealthy-looking boy, a sneer twisting her unattractive face. "Funking runt." The woman muttered under her breath as she snatched one of the cheese-and-crackers from the plate and shoved the snack into her mouth.**

**Harry blinked in surprise when a small clear plastic bag of dog treats hit the ground in front of him, then looked up at his uncle's sister in confusion.**

**"You can eat those. It's the best you're going to get, you little bastard runt." Marge sneered.**

_"Salope [French: bitch]."_ Verde muttered under his breath.

**"He's still got that mean, runty look about 'im." Marge said, turning to her brother. "What did you say his father did again?"**

**"He did have one." Vernon grunted.**

**"That would explain it. Father a lay-about wastral, and mother a whore who got pregnant straight out of school." **

**Harry's hands shook around the platter in his hands and his eyes grew dull and empty.**

**"Now Dudders, darling. I hope you enjoy your presents." Marge cooed to her nephew. "Such a good boy, unlike your runt of a nephew, Petunia. The father was a drunk, was he not?" She continued, lifting a glass of wine to her lips. "I heard that alcohol** **can do something horrible to a child in the womb. Leaves 'em deformed and retarded as this one here." The fat blond woman jerked her head towards the silent and still form of Harry.**

The Arcobaleno grumbled under their breath in their mother tongues, eyes narrowed into glares as Marge Dursley continued to speak.

A small bitter smile twisted Skull's lips; he had used to hate when Aunt Marge would talk of his parents, it had gotten even worse when he was finally told that his parents hadn't died in a car crash, but they were murdered fighting for a good cause.

**"He's lucky he never showed up on my doorstep. I would've drowned the runt. You never keep the runts, Petunia. They do no good."**

"_Drecksau [German: dirty pig]._" Viper hissed; his voice was no longer emotionless. Those words rang to close to what had been said to him in his own childhood for comfort (_"Children like that are no good, Hilda." His grandmother had once said._). "_Du verdammter_ _Arschficker_ _[German: you damn assfucker]._"

"E-eh?" Skull squaked eyes wide and mouth open in a stunned 'o'. "V-Viper?"

Viper turned to Skull, and a flash of twilight-colored eyes were visible under the Mist's hood; cold and unforgiving. "That woman. Does she still live?"

Skull stuttered for a moment. "I-I'm not sure! We never contacted each other after I blew her up!"

"You blew her up?" Fon echoed, eyebrow raised, and a blush spread across Skull's face.

"Not like _BOOM!_ blew her up," Skull made an explosion questure with his hands. "Blew her up - like a balloon; I ended up inflating her!... It was an accident!" He defended when he saw the incredulous looks on his comrades' faces.

**The memory faded, before reforming in a park; the snow was gone, and fresh flowers grew through the green grass.**

**"**_**Nǐ hǎo! [Chinese: Hello!]**_**"**

**Their attention was drawn to one of the many trees surrounding the park, where two children sat within its branches. Harry's eyes were wide as they stared at the slightly older boy who was hanging upside-down from the branch above him, their faces inches apart.**

Both Fon and Skull spluttered (Fon, with more dignity than his counterpart.) "That was you?!" They demanded of each other in shock.

"I'm confused -kora" Colonello muttered.

"Of course you are, plebeian." Verde shot back, adjusting his glasses. "It would seem we are witnessing a meeting between young Fon and Skull."

"No... way..." Colonello breathed in shock.

"You were a cute brat, Fon." Lal stated, drawing the martial artist and the stuntman from their shock, faces dusted with their blush.

**"H-Hello?" Harry muttered cautiously, eyeing Fon in wary** **confusion.**

They watched the interaction between the two children as they tried to communicate despite the language barrier.

"So Skull was the first person to call you 'Fon' -kora?" Colonello asked, "And your name was 'Fēng'?"

Fon eyes darkened slightly and he hid his frown behind his sleeve. "I stopped being 'Fēng' after my _Sifu_'s death."

"You called him Harui?" Reborn mused, almost sounding amused.

A light blush dusted Fon's cheeks. "I could not pronounce 'Harry'. At the time, I could only speak my mother-tongue."

**"**_**Fēng! Nǐ zài nǎ li? [Chinese: Where are you?]**_**"**

**Fon straightened from his spot beside Harry, a sunny grin spreading over his face as a middle-aged man with graying dark brown tied back in a braid, a kind face, and warm gray eyes wearing a personalized blue** **wudang uniform approached the two children in the trees.**

**"**_**Sifu Bingwen!**_ _**Zhè shì wǒde péngyou, Harui! [Chinese: This is my friend, Harry!]"**_

Fon's eyes softened at the sight of his old master, a small sad smile lifting his lips as he watched his younger-self and his long-dead master conversed in rapid-fire Chinese that left Harry looking completely lost.

**Fon then turned to Harry, sticking his hand out to shake with a grin on his face and Harry hesitated a moment before taking it. "**_**Bǎozhòng, Harui. [Chinese: Look after yourself, Harry.]**_**" The Asian boy then leapt from the tree, landing lightly and with cat-like beside his master, and turned to bow politely to the dark-haired boy watching him from the tree.**

**The memory shimmered before fading to white.**

* * *

_**There you go! The next chapter! I included Harry/Skull's meeting with Fon (from "Red String of Fate") to put a little bit of a happy spin on the end.  
**_

_**The German and French cursing? Don't take my word for it. I found a website called that basically tells you all these different insults in different languages. But I can't be sure. (In my mind Verde was born and raised in France)**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**~TDU**_


	4. Fourth Memory

**Fourth Memory, 8-9**

_"What we remember from childhood we remember forever — permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen."_

_~Cynthia Ozick_

As the memory faded around them, Fon glanced at Skull. "I had no idea that was you." He stated, rather stunned.

A light blush grew on Skull's cheeks, "I barely even remembered that..." He admitted, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

**The next memory started in a swirl of colours.**

**An eight-year-old Harry was cornered, his eyes wide behind the ugly wire-framed glasses as his cousin and said cousin's friends surrounded him.**

An odd look crossed Skull's face as he watched his younger self try to back away only to bump into the brick wall behind him. "Harry-Hunting." He stated, hands in his pocket and shoulders relaxed. He had gotten use to his cousin's 'game', it didn't bother him anymore.

**The small boy cringed backwards as the older kids laughed and curling in on himself in preparation of a beating, hands clutched over his head and knees drawn up to his chest to protect his vitals, his eyes clenched** **shut.**

**"What the Hell is going on here?"**

**The children turned, eyes drawn to the teenager standing in the mouth of the alley. He was around seventeen, tall and thin** **with noticeable muscles under his white button-up shirt, wearing a pair of black jeans and shiny shoes. His dark hair stuck up wildly, and the most memorable thing about him, other than his cold black eyes, were the curly sideburns framing his face.**

"What the fuck!" Skull spluttered, eyes widening in shock as he looked between Reborn and the teenager in the memory.

Reborn himself looked rather surprised, "So that was you."

The other Arcobaleno looked as shocked as Skull as they stared at the teenaged Reborn in the memory.

**"Well?" The teenager asked sharply, dark eyes glaring at the five boys who stood over the cowering Harry.**

**The children scattered in fear.**

**"**_**Pezzo di merda [Italian: Piece of shit]**_**," The teenager grumbled under his breath as he strolled towards the small boy on the ground, who tried to make himself look even smaller than he actually was. The teenager's eyebrow rose and he slowed his gait, as if he was approaching a wounded animal. "Relax, **_**Nano [Italian: Midget]**_**. I'm not going to hurt you."**

**Harry stared up at the much taller boy, eyes wide as he uncurled himself. "W-what does **_**nano**_ **mean?"**

"Midget." Colonello and Lal intoned in unison, looking faintly amused with the whole thing.

Skull's cheeks pinked, "I know that now."

"Quiet _Nano_, the memory's still going." Reborn said, a mocking grin on his face.

"_Senpai!_ Don't call me that!"

**The teenage** **Reborn ignored the question and began to walk away, hands in his pockets.**

**"A-ah! Wait!" Harry squeaked, scrambling to his feet and darting to the older boy's side, his hand reaching out and grabbing the fabric of the teenager's shirt. Reborn stiffened, shoulders tightening, and Harry, who must have sensed the danger, let go immediately. "S-sorry."**

**Reborn grunted and resumed walking, Harry dogging his steps. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to go with strangers?"**

**"I don't have parents. I live with my aunt and uncle."**

**Reborn raised an eyebrow, "Then what did your aunt and uncle tell you about going with strangers?"**

**"To go with them."**

**The teenager paused mid-step, eyebrow rising even further is surprise as he stared at the completely serious boy beside him. With a huff and a barely audible** **Italian curse, Reborn kept walking.**

**"Hey, Mister Stranger Man?" Harry asked, picking up speed so he could walk beside the much taller boy. "What's your name?"**

Colonello snorted, "_Mister Stranger Man_."

**"You can call me Ren."**

**The memory faded, and the next formed almost immediately.**

**'Ren' and Harry sat across from each other** **in a small café, the small boy stared starry-eyed up at the teenager, all but sparkling with hero-worship.**

**"Order anything you want." Reborn said, waving a hand towards the menu that sat beside Harry's arm. "I have enough to pay."**

**Harry stared at the older boy with large green eyes, lips parted in a surprised 'o'. "R-really, Mister Ren?"**

**"Don't call me 'mister', it makes me feel old."**

**Harry smiled shyly as he picked up the menu and scanned through the contents, however his face fell after a few moments. "I-I've never tried any of this... And it's all so expensive..."**

**Reborn's eyebrow rose, "It's not actually all that expensive, **_**Nano.**_**"**

**"B-but-"**

**"**_**Anything you want**_**." The teenager repeated forcefully, and Harry ducked his head.**

**"C-can I have a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich?" The small boy asked hesitantly, as if expecting Reborn to deny his request.**

**"Sure," Harry's head snapped up in surprise to where Reborn sat, reading his own menu. "Do you want anything to drink?"**

**"C-chocolate milk?"**

**Reborn hummed, "Chocolate milk it is."**

**Harry looked dazed as the teenager waved over the waitress and placed their order.**

**"What a nice big brother," The young woman sighed, looking at Reborn with exalting eyes. "Taking your little brother out for lunch. He's so adorable." She gushed.**

**Reborn plastered a charming grin on his face as Harry's cheeks pinked and the kid ducked his head behind his menu.**

Skull groaned, "Stop flirting with every waitress we meet!"

"You're just jealous they like me better." Reborn shot back without missing a beat.

"Dude, I'm _gay_." Skull returned. "I don't flirt with the waitresses."

"You have in the past."

"To get _information_."

**The memory faded, and the next took it place.**

**Harry was following Reborn through a large, rather expensive,** **boutique, his green eyes staring at everything in awe, and the young boy never noticed the looks shot towards** **his scruffy appearance and too-big clothing.**

**A large smile spread over his face as something** **off to the side caught his attention and the little boy darted away from the teenager.**

_**"Nano,"**_ **Reborn called as his companion wove through the displays. "You better not get lost, because I am not looking for you if you do."**

**"'kay! Just a sec, Ren!"**

"Aww," Lal mocked, "You do care."

**A few moments later, Harry came bounding out from the displays, a black fedora in hand and a large grin on his face. He placed the plain black hat on his older friend's spikey hair with a flourish and a faint blush. "It looks good on you, Ren."**

**The teenager blinked a few times, before adjusting the hat so the brim shadowed his eyes, a small smirk on his face. "You think so?"**

**The small black-haired boy nodded enthusiastically, and 'Ren' turned to the shop assistant.**

**"I'll take it."**

"So that's where the fedora came from." Verde mused in faint amusement. "I had wondered."

A light blush dusted Skull's cheeks as he rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck.

**The scene** **faded.**

**The next memory formed with an unhappy Harry kicking at the ground as 'Ren' stood across from him, hands in his pockets and fedora covering his eyes.**

**"You're leaving?" Harry's voice was small and shaky as he stared up at the older dark-haired male, eyes pleading.**

**"Sorry, **_**Nano**_**." The teenager offered, "We both knew I'd be leaving eventually. I was only here for a job." Harry's shoulders slumped, and Reborn, seeing the boy's expression, released a sigh. With practiced ease and inherent grace, the teenager easily reached behind his neck.**

**Harry blinked in surprise when 'Ren' held a simple silver chain in front of his eyes, adorned only by a small golden sun-shaped charm. The teenaged hitman reattached the chain so it hung around Harry's thin neck.**

**"There, you can keep that."**

**Reborn looked away awkwardly when Harry grinned brightly, fingering the pendant around his neck, before stiffening when the small boy launched himself at him and hugged him tightly around the waist, burying his face in Reborn's stomach.**

"Cute." Viper said flatly, however there was an underlining thread of amusement in his otherwise deadpanned voice.

Fon grinned, and Skull blushed.

"S-shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

**"I'm gunna miss you, Ren..." Harry said, his voice muffled by the fabric of Reborn's shirt.**

**Shoulders relaxing slightly, the hitman patted the young boy self-consciously on the back. "Ah, me too, **_**Nano**_**." He confessed.**

**The memory faded, and the next one start almost immediately afterwards.**

**Seated at a table, books and papers scattered around him, was Harry. His head of dark curls was bent into a book as he scribbled furiously on the paper next to him.**

"What are you doing?" Fon asked with open curiosity as the young boy in the memory mouthed something silently to himself, furrowed his brows, and went back to his book.

Skull scratched his cheek, "Well- er... IwantedtolearnItalian!"

Reborn raised an eyebrow.

**"What are you doing, hon?"**

**Harry jumped in alarm when a young woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes approach from behind him, the badge on her chest declaring her as a volunteer. The** **woman smiled kindly, and Harry looked away with a blush.**

**"I-I have a friend. In Italy. I wanted to learn Italian." A sudden spark of excitement entered his eyes. "I want to go to Italy someday!"**

**The woman giggled, placing a hand over her mouth as her brown eyes lit up at the boy's enthusiasm. "I can help if you'd like, my grandfather** **is Italian. I'm Juliet."**

**"Harry."**

**The two worked in relative silence, Juliet occasionally leaning forward to correct Harry's spelling or grammar as they struck up conversations about both the language and whatever else came to mind.**

**"You know, Harry." Juliet told him as she went through his writing, making small notes as she did so. "You remind me of my niece."**

**Harry blinked, "Really, Miss Juliet?"**

**"Just Juliet, Harry. And yes, I think the two of you would get along. Hermione is about your age, and she simply adores her books." Juliet smiled fondly,**

"Holy shit." Skull breathed, eyes wide. "I had completely forgotten! Miss Juliet was Hermione's aunt!"

**her eyes soft. "And you're both so intelligent."**

**Harry blushed, "I'm not that smart, Miss Juliet."**

**"You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for, hon." Juliet told him, eyeing him with shrewd** **brown eyes. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."**

**The memory faded.**

**The next started in a flurry of colour. Harry stood dutifully at the stove, poking absentmindedly at the sizzling bacon in the pan. After a few moments, the boy turned away from the stove and walked stiffly towards another cupboard, a slight pained grimace** **on his face. He rummaged through the cupboard for a few moments, before emerging with a stack of plates.**

**He turned, fully expecting to walk back to the stove area and he managed to make it half way there, limping slightly and trying to keep weight off his left leg.**

**Then he stumbled.**

**It happened as if in slow motion, the young boy's body jerked when his leg gave out on him, his arms wrenched upwards in a desperate attempt to catch his balance.**

**He hit the ground with a harsh, painful **_**thud**_**.**

**The plates followed soon after, shattering on impact with the tiled floor.**

**For a moment, nothing moved as Harry stared in horror at the remains of what had once been beautifully designed plates with floral designs, then he was scrambling to his feet, face pale and terrified.**

**The only noise was Harry's panicked gasps, before a shout rocked the house.**

**"BOY!"**

**Harry's whole body froze as thunderous footsteps made their way towards him, he stared at the ground with wide eyes and a purple-faced Vernon stomped into the room.**

**His uncle took one look at the broken plates, then exploded. "YOU USELESS FREAK!" The man hollered, advancing on Harry's small form, and the boy backed up fearfully, right towards the stove.**

The Arcobaleno had gone stiff, their eyes glittering dangerously as they watched the memory unfold before them.

**Vernon then began shouting angrily about how useless and a waste of space Harry was, all the while throwing in digs towards the boy's dead parents, calling them 'a no-good slut' and 'lazy bum', and how Harry was just like them, and that he'd go out in the exact same way.**

**All through this, Harry grew tenser and tenser, his fists tightening at his sides, eyes flashing dangerously.**

**"SHUT UP!"**

**Everything went silent, and Harry looked horrified that he had just yelled out loud.**

Skull had gone pale, one hand gripping at the other as if he was feeling a phantom pain.

**Vernon's face steadily darkened, a snear twisting his ugly face.**

**Harry staggered backwards when the man's large hand connected with the side of his face, sending him stumbling backwards, and one hand shot out to try to keep him balanced.**

**The boy's small hand landed in the sizzling bacon grease, and he screamed in pain, ripping his hand away and cradling it against his chest.**

**A sinister grin spread across Vernon's face, "That'll teach you to respect your betters, Boy."**

The atmosphere around the Arcobaleno was crackling with fury at the fat man's words and actions.

**Watery green eyes glowered at the floor, and the smile melted off Vernon's face.**

**"Obviously you need more lessons, you fucking freak."**

**Harry flinched when Vernon reached forward, snatching the boy's thin wrist and tearing it away from his chest as he dragged the small boy towards the stove top.**

**With a malicious smile, his uncle press his hand into the boiling grease.**

One could almost _hear _the snap of their control when the young version of their Cloud released a screech of pain.

**Harry writhed and cried, begging for his uncle to release him and just let him go, and finally, after what felt like hours, the fat man let his nephew go.**

**Harry recoiled away from the man with a shuddering hiccup, fat tears sliding down pale cheeks.**

**"Get out." Vernon snarled, "I better not see you until it's time for your chores."**

**He didn't need to be told twice.**

**Cradling his wounded hand to his chest, Harry turned and fled.**

**The memory dissolved.**

Skull let out a surprised squeak when strong arms wrapped around his waist and all but crushed him against an equally strong chest, glancing up Skull let out a breath of frightened shock.

Fon's normally kind brown eyes were glowing red, blistering Storm Flames all but radiating off his body, the intensity enough to snap the others out of their anger.

"F-Fon," Skull wheezed, "I'm fine, this happened _years _ago."

He hadn't known there was anything that could upset Fon enough to send him teetering towards activating Flames of Rage- _hell_, none of them had. He was the calm one, their pillar of support, the one who was always there to calm_ them_ down.

However, it would seem they had discovered what could cause Fon to go batshit, and Skull's attempts at calming him down wasn't working, if the martial artist's almost feral growl was anything to go by.

He did the next best thing.

"Fon, _you're hurting me_."

It work immediately, Fon released the smaller male with a choked noise of alarm when the statement sunk in. "I-I'm sorry." He breathed, horrified when Skull winced slightly when taking a breath.

"It's fine, Fon." Skull assured, smiling at his lover gently.

**"Fascinating."**

The Arcobaleno started, none having noticed that the next memory had already started.

**Harry was seated on a snow covered bench in nothing but his over-large clothing, face tear-stained and face flushed from the cold.** **He jumped violently and looked up at the voice.**

**Standing in front of him was a man with white hair, pale skin, and a pair of round glasses, wearing nothing but a green kimono with a knitted shawl thrown overtop.**

"Checkerface." Reborn hissed, eyes narrowing.

**"What are you doing out here, child?"**

**Harry didn't answer, instead he shifted backwards, eyes wide and startled,**

**Kawahira smiled, an almost hungry gleam in his eyes as he took in the small boy in front of him. "Amazing..." He breathed, "Such potential... A corrupted Sky that became a Cloud out of necessity... I've never seen anything like this..."**

"Wait- what?" Skull squawked. "_A corrupted Sky_\- what the hell does he mean by that?! Why don't I remember this?!"

Verde adjusted his glasses, "I had thought it odd... You're a Cloud, however, at times I could almost feel Sky potential from you... I'll need to research this more..."

**Harry twitched uneasily under the man's shrewd gaze, before flinching when the man reached forward and grasped the hand Harry had clutched against his chest, exposing the blackened, bleeding flesh of his palm.**

**"Humans... disgusting creatures." Kawahira tsked in disgust as his hand lit up in golden Flames, which seemed to cause a chain reaction, as Harry's eyes flashed violet and his Cloud Flames sprung to life, engulfing his hands.**

**Harry squeaked, flailing in alarm before freezing, eyes widening when he realized that the Flames on his hands weren't burning him.**

**Kawahira/Checkerface grinned, "Facinating..." Then he reached forward once again, indigo Flames springing to life on the tips of his fingers, and he tapped the boy on the forehead, then watched as the small boy slumped like a puppet with its strings cut.**

**The memory became fuzzy, before fading completely.**

* * *

_**Tahdahhh! New chapter!**_

_**About the 'corrupted Sky' thing, in my mind/this story, Harry was born a Sky with a secondary Cloud affinity. However, when Harry was turned into a horcrux, this corrupted his Sky Flames, and his secondary affinity picked up the slack and took its place. The Dursleys' furthered this corruption.**_

_**But, on a lighter note, teenaged!Reborn! Yay! I also threw some Kawahira/Checkerface in there too! I thought it would be fitting.  
**_

_**Hope you enjoyed, and sorry for the wait.**_

_**~Uzu**_

_**Update:**_

_**Thank you bloodshound for pointing out my spelling mistake (damn you auto correct!) I've gone back to correct it. And don't worry, there are some authority figures whom haven't messed up when it comes to Harry.**_

_**Update:**_

_**Guest11 pointed out that something I wrote was similar to another fanfiction, so I went back to fix that. I guess that's what I get for writing a fanfiction half asleep, slightly out of it with migraine medicine, and after I had read fanfiction.**_

_**Thanks for pointing that out!**_


	5. Fifth Memory

**Fifth Memory, 10**

_**"Sometimes I wonder if anything is absolute anymore. Is there still right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies? Or is everything negotiable? Left to interpretation. Gray?"**_

_**~Lucas Scott**_

* * *

"That would explain why you didn't remember your meeting with Checkerface," Viper hummed, cloacked eyes glancing between his comrades. "I have seen that technique used before. It locks away a memory of the user's choosing."

Skull groaned, "What is with people and erasing my memories?!"

A few of the other Arcobaleno couldn't stop the chuckles that slipped past at Skull's complaining.

**The next memory began with Petunia's shrill shrieking; she stood in front of a familiar cupboard under the stairs, rapping her bony knuckles on the door.**

**"Up! Get up now!" The was a muffled noise from within the cupboard, but Harry wasn't moving fast enough for his aunt's liking. "Up!"**

"Jesus woman," Colonello groaned, "Shut the hell up -kora!"

**With a disdainful sniff the woman marched towards the kitchen, and after a few moments of pots banging as she set them on the stove, she returned to the cupboard.**

**"Are you up yet?!"**

**"Nearly..." Came Harry's muffled, tired-sounding voice.**

**"Well get a move on! You're to look after the bacon!" Petunia ordered, "And don't you dare let it burn again, I want everything perfect for Dudder's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?!"**

**"Nothing... Nothing..."**

**A few moments later, after Petunia had walked away, Harry exited the cupboard, looking as scrawny and underfed as always in the too-large hand-me-downs. The boy fiddle momentarily** **with the silver chain around his neck, peering fondly at the golden sun charm before tucking it safely into his shirt, hiding it from view. With a huff, the dark-haired ten year old wandered down the hall-way and into the kitchen, immediately moving towards the stove.**

**Harry hadn't been there long, and had been in the process of flipping the bacon when Vernon thumped into the kitchen.**

**"Comb your hair!" The man barked, before settling himself heavily into one of the chairs at the table, missing Harry's eye-role.**

**When Dudley waddled into the kitchen, the fat boy immediately moved towards the present-loaded table. Harry was frying the eggs as the boy whined about the number of presents he had received and his mother cooed over him, promising to buy him an additional two presents.**

"I always thought he looked like a pig in a wig." Skull said in faint amusement, and Colonello snorted loudly.

**"So I'll have thirty... thirty..."**

"Honestly," Fon sighed, "can that child not add?"

Skull chuckled, "No."

Reborn squinted at the stuntman, "He couldn't have gotten as far in his school as he had without someone doing his homework."

The purple-haired Cloud shifted awkwardly.

**"Thirty-nine, Sweetums." Petunia cooed.**

**"Oh. Alright." And without further ado, the obese blonde began ripping open his gifts.**

**Vernon chuckled, ruffling his son's hair, "Little tyke wants his moneys worth, just like his father. Atta boy, Dudley."**

Lal's nose crinkled in disgust, "Terrible parenting."

**The phone rang, and Petunia excused herself. While she was gone, Harry had finished with the breakfast and had sat down at the table, a meager helping of half a piece of bacon and an egg was placed in front of him by his uncle.**

**By then, Petunia had returned to the room, a disgusted expression on her face. "Bad news, Vernon, Mrs. Figg's broken her leg, she can't take him."**

**A look of excitement spread across Harry's face, even as his relatives bickered over what to do with him.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry piped up, and Vernon scoffed.**

**"And come home to find the house in ruins?" Petunia snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house!" The boy objected, but was thoroughly ignored for his efforts.**

**"I suppose we could bring him with us..." Petunia said slowly, as if the mere thought disgusted her. "...and leave him in the car."**

"He's not a dog!" Colonello growled.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone."**

**Dudley promptly burst into loud, obviously fake tears as he screwed up his face and wailed loudly.**

**"Dinky Duddydums! Mummy wont let that rotten boy spoil your day!" She threw her thin arms around her wailing son.**

**"I-I-I don't w-want him t-t-to come! He always s-spoils everything!"**

**The memory ended with the ringing of a doorbell, and skipped forward, like a film being fast forwarded.**

**Vernon slammed his nephew's thin body against the wall, looming over him dangerously. "I'm warning you." The man snarled, "I'm warning you now, boy. Any funny business - anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas!"**

**"I'm not going to do anything," Harry said quickly, cringing away from the larger man. "honestly."**

**The memory ended.**

"I'd like to say I'm disgusted," Verde muttered, adjusting his glasses. "but after everything else we've seen so far, this is rather tame."

**The next memory started in a swirl of colours, Harry was leaning up against the glass of one of the cages in the reptile house, hissing at the snake behind the glass.**

**"DUDLEY! ! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"That's Piers." Skull muttered, looking at the ferret-like boy in the memory in distaste.

**Dudley waddled forward quickly, elbowing Harry in the ribs hard enough to send the smaller boy sprawling onto the ground as he past. "Out of the way, you."**

**Harry glared, green eyes almost glowing in the dim lighting, his hair ruffled with a non-existent wind, and -**

**The glass on the front of the snake cage vanished, and Dudley and Piers leapt back with howls of horror.**

Colonello burst into loud gwaffs.

**The giant snake was rapidly uncoiling itself, slithering out onto the floor as people around them shrieked and ran for the exit, all the while Harry sat on the floor, mouth open in shock as the snake slid past him.**

**"Y-You're welcome?" He muttered weakily.**

**The scene fast forwarded, Dudley and Piers sat in the back of the car, Harry squished between them, for the most part the atmosphere was calm, and it wasn't until they pulled into the driveway that Piers spoke.**

**"Harry was talking to the snake. Weren't you Harry?"**

**The memory ended.**

Fon sighed, "You were locked in the cupboard, weren't you?"

Skull laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah."

**The next memory began.**

**It was obvious some time had passed since the snake incident, Harry was balanced on top of the monkey bars, leaping deftly from one bar to another, occasionally pausing to twist gracefully on his heel or balancing on one foot.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet first day at Stonewall," Dudley told Harry from where he sat on the marry-go-round licking an ice cream cone, a mocking grin on his face. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**Harry blinked, halting in his movement to stare at his cousin. "No thanks," He replied easily, before leaping from the monkey bars and landing easily on the ground. "The toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might get sick."**

The Arcobaleno chuckled, some louder than others.

**Then he bolted.**

**It took Dudley a few moments to figure out what his smaller cousin had meant, before his face reddened in fury and he gave chase, albeit very slowly.**

**The memory ended, and the next reformed just a quickly.**

**"What's this?" Harry asked his aunt as he entered the kitchen to see her standing over a large tub of gray water.**

**The woman's lips tightened in distaste, "Your new school uniform."**

**The boy glanced pointed at the tub, "Oh, I didn't realize it had to be so wet." He deadpanned.**

**Petunia obviously didn't understand sarcasm, for she made no angry emotions towards her nephew. "Don't be stupid, I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry's expression showed how much he believed his aunt (in other words: he didn't believe her for a moment).**

**Breakfast for the family was uneventful for the most part, and nothing interesting happened until the click of the letter-box was heard.**

**"Get the post, Dudley."**

"He's actually asking that pig to do something?" Reborn muttered under his breath.

"Shocking." Fon grumbled.

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

**Feeling rebellious, Harry crossed his arms over his chest, "Make Dudley get it."**

**"Hit him with your Smeltings stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the attack and scurried from the room, tossing one last glare over his shoulder as he did so, the spectators followed behind the small dark-haired boy.**

**Three things lay on the doormat, and Harry's expression shifted from annoyance to shock. The boy bent down and scooped one of the letters up into his hands, turning it over as if he had never seen something like it before.**

"Your Hogwarts letter." Viper intoned,

Lal had glanced over memory!Harry's shoulder, eyes dark as she read what was written, "_Mister H Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs, Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. _They knew exactly what was happening, didn't they?" She scowled.

Skull shrugged, "I doubt they knew _exactly_ what the Dursleys were doing... But I'm sure Dumbledore knew most of what was going on, he always did..." He finished bitterly.

**"Hurry up, boy!" Vernon shouted from the kitchen, making Harry jump and collect the final two letters, he scurried back to the kitchen, handed two of the three letters to his uncle.**

**Vernon wasted no time in ripping open one envelope, snorting in disgust and tossing it away before moving on to the postcard. "Marge's** **ill, ate a funny whelk."**

**While he did this, Harry had turned his letter over and was in the midst of opening it, when-**

Skull blushed at the disbelieving looks his comrades sent him at his lack of forethought.

**"Dad!" Dudley shouted, "Dad! Harry's got something!"**

The Arcobaleno watched as Vernon jerked the letter out of Harry's hands with a sneer twisting his already ugly face.

**"That's mine!" Harry exclaimed angrily, attempting to snatch it back out of his uncle's hands.**

**His uncle simply held it just out of the dark-haired boy's grasp, "Who'd be writing **_**you**_**." Vernon mocked as he removed the letter from the envelope and** **glanced at it. His face went from red to green then paled to a near-gray. "P-P-Petunia!"**

**As Dudley reached for the letter, Vernon held it out of his reach and allowed Petunia to read the parchment. Petunia choked.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness- Vernon!"**

**Dudley smacked his father over** **the head with the stick he held in his hands, "I want to read the letter!"**

**"**_**I **_**want to read the letter!" Harry snapped, "As it's **_**mine**_**!"**

**"Get out, both of you." Vernon croaked, stuffing the letter back into its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move, instead he stayed rooted in his spot, eyes nearly glowing in anger as he squared his shoulders and clenched** **his fists. "I WANT MY LETTER!"**

**"Let **_**me **_**see it!" Dudley demanded.**

**Vernon rounded on both boys, face purple. "OUT!" He roared, grabbing them by their collars and throwing them out into the hall, slamming the door behind him.**

**The memory faded.**

**The next one started on a grey sea, waves rolling dangerously as freezing water pelted down around them.**

"I can't help but feel like we missed something." Colonello mused, raising a blonde brow.

"Not really," Skull said lightly, "Just dear Uncle developing paranoia."

**Icy water splashed over the sides of the small row boat, and a blue-lipped Harry flinched away, shivering violently.**

**They finally reached a small rocky island just big enough for a single small shack and piled out of the wooden boat following behind Vernon as the fat man marched them towards the run-down shack. Vernon sat them down as he passed out the measly "rations" he had brought with them (four bananas and four bags of chips).**

**As expected, none went to Harry. Instead, Dudley took the chips and Vernon scarfed down the banana.**

**Vernon laughed as he tried (and failed)** **to light a fire, "Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" The fat man said cheerfully.**

**Harry only drew his knees to his chest and look at the floor.**

**The memory dissolved.**

"Asshole." Lal hissed under her breath. Taking the hope away from a child- it was almost as cruel as abusing and starving them.

**The next memory began. It was dark, and they were just able to make out Dudley's fat body curled up on the single couch. Harry, on the other hand, was curled up on the floor with only a ratty blanket for warmth.**

**The boy was on his stomach, humming under his breath as he drew a birthday cake in the dust that was layered on the wooden floor. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Harry. Happy birthday to you." Harry sang quietly, before blowing on the dust.**

Fon felt his heart ache at the sight of the lonely little boy laying on the floor, singing happy birthday to himself, quietly enough that no one else would hear.

_**BOOM!**_

**The shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door.**

**The memory froze.**

* * *

_**We have now began The Philosopher's Stone! Any dialogue you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling!  
**_

_**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and sorry it's a little late. Exam time again, so I haven't been able to write as much as I hoped to. But luckily enough, exams are now over, yay!**_

_**Reviews keep authors alive,**_

_**~Uzu**_


	6. AUTHORS NOTE - ON HOLD

**Hey everyone from this moment on this story is ON HOLD  
**

**I know I should have posted an author's note earlier, but I was hoping I'd be able to find my muse again (have any of you perhaps found it?).**

**I'm actually considering rewriting this as a prequel to the Soldier Series instead of a watching-memories fanfiction, but that's still up for debate.  
**

**~Uzu**


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